The Heart Behind Joy In Living

Welcome

I’m so glad you’re here.

People often ask me,

“Where did Joy In Living come from?”

The answer begins long before I was born.

It begins with my grandmother, Esther Corbett.

When she was a young wife and mother of three daughters, she developed severe, crippling rheumatoid arthritis. At one point, after a medical mistake during treatment, she was told she would never walk again.

She chose not to believe that prognosis.

She chose not to let that prognosis have the final word.

Instead, she chose to believe that healing was still possible.

She quietly devoted herself to healing—through prayer, lifelong learning, nourishing relationships, music, thoughtful living, emerging complementary therapies, and an unwavering trust that healing was still possible.

It took eight years.

She walked again.

She lived another forty vibrant years.

And during that time, she published a small book of poetry.

Its title?

Joy In Living

As a little girl, I loved being in her home, surrounded by books, classical music, thoughtful conversations, and the quiet peace she carried with her.

Without realizing it, I was learning one of life’s greatest truths:

Joy is not the absence of hardship.

Joy is a way of meeting life.

What Joy In Living Means

Over the years, those simple words have continued to unfold their meaning for me.

Joy is the quiet embodiment of deep, heart-centered peace, love, compassion, playfulness, gratitude, and hope.

Living in harmony with the Source of Life, Joy In Living is choosing practices and ways of being that nourish our minds, bodies, hearts, and spirits, allowing us to embrace life with greater presence, resilience, and openness.

Joy In Living is the quiet knowing that all is well, even in the midst of contrast, chaos, and change. It arises not from perfect circumstances, but from the well-being we cultivate within ourselves and share with one another.

That understanding has shaped my own life’s work—as a counselor, board-certified health and wellness coach, writer, and guide.

Those afternoons with Mammaw planted seeds that have continued to bloom throughout my life. She taught me that what we believe shapes how we meet life—and often influences what becomes possible.

Looking back, I realize Joy In Living did not begin with me. I simply had the privilege of tending the garden she planted.

How That Lives Here

Everything you’ll find here grows from those same roots…

• caring for ourselves
• honoring our humanity
• cultivating resilience
• remaining open to mystery
• making room for laughter and playfulness
• discovering that synchronicities and miracles often appear when we least expect them
• allowing healing and joy to grow together

The Garden Continues

When I think of my grandmother today, I don’t simply remember her.

I notice the ways her love continues to ripple outward—through the lives she touched, through the wisdom she shared, and through the seeds she quietly planted in my own heart.

This garden is one of those blossoms.

It is my way of continuing the legacy she began.

My hope is that while you’re here, you’ll find a moment of peace…

a spark of hope…

a reason to smile…

perhaps even a gentle synchronicity or unexpected miracle that reminds you that life is often speaking to us in quiet and beautiful ways.

If that happens, then Joy In Living will continue exactly as it was always meant to.

Whether through a Reflection from the Garden, a calming practice, a coaching conversation, or a Women of Wisdom Gathering, my hope is that you’ll leave feeling just a little more connected—to yourself, to others, and to the quiet wisdom already living within you.

Welcome

Come sit around the table.

There’s always room for one more.

I’m so glad you’re here.